Monday, January 4, 2010

Amish Hospitality

   Our first stop down in Southern MN was at an Amish family farm...they always welcome us like we are family ~ I am so thankful Tricia shares her friends with us & now they are my friends too!
As we waited for Lizzy (the mom) to come home we walked around & enjoyed the beauty of their farm.

   My favorite part of all was the clothes' line on a -9 F day.  The clothes actually weren't even frozen stiff but were flapping in the wind.  The simplicity & order of it was just beautiful!

   Then we saw Lizzy coming!


And of course, we even enjoyed Buggy
rides before they put the horse away.

(Annie, Sam, Tricia & Bo)
It is not respectful to take pictures of the Amish, but the horse was acting up a little (itching to get back to the barn :), So Paul said it would be okay to take a few pictures if he turned away.

They wlecomed us in and it was our first visit
to the NEW home they had just built.
And of course, Bo was a little maniac the
whole time but they LOVED it! 
I had to snap this picture the one second
Bo sat still with Dad in the rocking chair:
Believe me, it didn't last long.

   As the sun set & the lamps were lit we spent hours visiting.  I shared with Lizzy how Bo had written on my kitchen cupboard with a permanent marker & she said she had a product for me.  As she gave me "the speal" the Melaluca salesman gave her (he wrote on a picture with a Sharpie & wiped the photo clean) she took out a Sharpie & the cleaner & drew on her table covering....well it didn't come off!  She said she will think of me & remember my visit everyday :)  We laughed & laughed & then she wrote on her wall determined to show me how fabulous the cleaner was!  It came off :)  & I left with little bottle of the cleaner she made me take :)That lead to a story of when she was 5 and her cousins asked, "Who wants their face painted black?"  She said she sat up tall & begged for the honor.  I asked her what they painted it with & she got a big smile & said,  "It was black buggy paint."  Well then we were already laughing ~as Lizzy is quite the storyteller ~ all the way through the rest of the story.  She said once her whole face, including her eyelids, was painted black they sent her out to run around the windmill in the freezing cold.  She said once she got about halfway to the windmill, the oilbased paint was drying & it was no longer fun!  She shared that she had blisters all over her face from the kerosene as they rubbed her face clean.  Oh did we laugh!  It was a perfect night!

Enough about me!  Tomorrow I look forward to visiting your blogs again!  So much has happened this week that I miss you all!

24 comments:

koralee said...

Your images are amazing...I adore the barns and the blue clothes hanging outside. *sign* I would love to visit an Amish community..you were so blessed. I love their blue doors as well. Take care and have a blessed week.

Marla said...

I think I am officially jealous. How did you meet them? What a great post and oh the pictures! I would love to do this.

honeypiehorse said...

Wow, a real Amish visit. That's so cool!

Rita said...

What a wonderful visit; it has always been my dream to talk and know this fantastic culture.
Very rare in our area; thank you for sharing.
Rita

Anonymous said...

Wow! The pictures are beautiful. Thanks for sharing. I wish I were there...Enjoy!

Lori R. said...

Love the pictures. What a special opportunity to have such a connection to a wonderful way of life. and to think I was complaining because my dishwasher quit and I have hand washed dishes for a week. I should be thankful I don't have to pump the water and heat it up on the stove!!!

Anonymous said...

Absolutely beautiful post. You pictures are remarkable. I have seen many of the Amish & Mennonite farms in southern Pennsylvania area as my brother lives in Lancaster. Their lifestyle takes a lot of faith & work!
We take so much for granted in our society....
Love,
Marilyn
xxoo

Pa-Dutch-Travel said...

Love you blog post! You will have to come visit us in PA Dutch Country!

Wendy
www.Pa-Dutch-Travel.com

MS/AC Fan said...

Ouch! Poor Lizzie! That's horrible that her siblings painted her with the buggy paint! But since she is obviously ok- kind of funny too! Kids.

Anonymous said...

What an experience for your kids. I love it!
Mer

Rose said...

The pictures are incredible. How beautiful. What a wonderful day for you and your family. The stories are so delightful to read. Thank you so much for sharing them!
Rose

fraizerbaz said...

You are so lucky! I have always wanted to visit with the Amish folk, and see first-hand how they live.

Lori said...

Sounds like a wonderful visit, and the photos are great! Can't believe the cloths were not frozen.

Karen said...

That is so neat. The pictures were great! I just finished reading a book by Beverly Lewis, who writes fiction novels about the Amish. I loved seeing the real thing. Thanks for sharing.

Cassandra Frear said...

Reminds me of the Amish in Pennsylvania where we lived for 16 years. Good people.

Obee Designs said...

Hi Libbie!
I'm so glad you're baaack!
It looks like you had a wonderful time! It is so great you showed your kids some good clean wholesome fun! It looks like the buggy ride was something your kids will remember for a very long time! I know I would.
That is so funny about the clothesline. My mom used to hang our clothes out on the clothesline even in the freezing cold. I remember our bath towels hanging stiff as a board. Every little terry cloth loop was stiff and prickly! Even when you brought them in, dried them out and warmed them up, the loops were as rough as a porcupine! Imagine drying yourself off with with one of those babies:( There's something to be said for a warm, fluffy towel!
My mom and dad were green before it was "cool" to be green. They grew up in the depression and didn't have a lot. I'm glad they taught me the values they did. It makes me appreciate what you do have...like a warm fluffy towel from the dryer:). We don't "need" all the things we think we do. It is sad to see the generation of kids today as a whole not really understand the concept of less is more and that a little hard work won't kill them. I hope I can instill that in my daughter...we'll see.
Enough of my soapbox!!

As far as finding a picture, as long as it is a good face shot with little to no distracting background, I re-size the picture and change it to black and white, so no worries! We would be honored to make you a necklace!!
Again. I'm so glad you're back. I look forward to hearing more of your stories and seeing more great pictures of your precious kids.
Just keep the sharpies high, up and away...out of reach:)

Just think, we met over tea, Wild Sweet Orange, that is. We'll have to chat over tea again soon. I just finished my cup...seriously I did.
Have a wonderful day!
XoXo
Gail

Debbie said...

What an incredible post. Now, I love to hang my clothes out but cannot imagine doing so in such frigid temps. My hands would freeze off!

Chandrika Shubham said...

Nice Pics of snow. Your profile pic is also very beautiful. I liked your post.

Happy New Year.
Best wishes. :)

Auntie Cake said...

I need a little Lizzy in my life. Love her clothesline. Hope you helped her take the clothes off at the end of the day. I can smell the popcorn from here.

Jeanne Henriques said...

Beautiful story and lovely photos...I hope you will have some framed!!
Jeanne :)

Lisa@Pickles and Cheese said...

I so enjoyed this post! I used to live in Ohio near a large Amish settlement and have always found the Amish facinating. I never had the pleasure of actually meeting them How nice for you and your kids to be guests at their home! Really great photos too.

Pam said...

I loved your photos Lib! What a great opportunity too for your kids to see the Amish lifestyle. I toured Harmony a few years back and was blessed to meet a few of them, who then welcomed my mom and I into their home. Very rare occasion, but one I will never forget. How wonderful to have friends there to visit!

Anonymous said...

Wow! what an awesome post!I love those blue doors in that home.

-stephanie- said...

What a great time! I love anything drying on the line in any kind of weather. Awesome pictures.